


Curiosity Got The Cat

by Lascaut



Series: Of Catboys and Warlocks [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Catboy Alec Lightwood, Catboys & Catgirls, Domestic, High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane, Knotting, M/M, Medical Prostate Milking, Pet Alec Lightwood, Sex Magic, Soul Bond, Weird Animal Dicks All Around
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-02-23 18:13:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13195764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lascaut/pseuds/Lascaut
Summary: The domestication of Magnus Bane by the Catboy Alec Lightwood.Or:The one where Magnus is a little lonely and a lot curious, brings home one of the catfolk despite himself, and spoils him with a life of luxury and indulgence. The sex magic is an unexpected boon, honestly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus acquires a pet

On a whim, Magnus decides to walk home instead of taking a portal. It's a sunny autumn afternoon and he has no other clients for the day, so nothing is calling him home. Clearing Ms. Dawnfall's heirloom mirror of the spirit that haunted it hadn't exactly been challenging, but still rather invigorating, so he's in the mood to stretch his legs and people-watch.

Alas, most people around him are boring: parents struggling to keep their kids in tow, people in business attire pretending to be in a hurry, tourists halting traffic while gawking at the sights. By the time he’s made his way halfway home, he’s regretting his choice of transportation, since everybody he’s encountered so far is dreadfully mundane.

That is, until he spots her. The woman herself is of little notice, she’s a little too haughty and too conservatively dressed for Magnus’ tastes. What draws his attention is the pet walking beside her, held by a thin golden diamond-studded leash. She’s a poodle of some kind, blonde hair cut fashionably to curl around her grey ears, her tail cut equally as fashionably, wagging slightly. They make quite the pair, dressed in matching outfits, nose held high in the same arrogant sneer. She’s not the first doggirl or dogboy he’s ever seen, nor the prettiest, but the way they move through the foot-traffic together, utterly in sync, unlocks a strange kind of longing in Magnus.

He keeps observing them the two blocks that their ways coincide, until the woman and her pet enter a building. He wouldn’t ever want something like that–a pet styled to be his exact copy, all traces of its own personality removed–but somehow the pair made him feel the weight of his own loneliness. It must be nice to have a companion.

He tries to push down the feeling and distracts himself by taking a detour through a neighborhood he’s less familiar with. There are fewer offices and businesses here, more homes and family-owned shops. He spots a couple of werewolves, is greeted by a Seelie that's vaguely familar, and completely ignored by three mundane girls who giggle while they enter a magic shop. It's a typical magically mixed Brooklyn neighborhood, and Magnus feels somewhat out of place without groceries or kids holding his hand, but it’s a nice walk nevertheless. He thinks about finding a nearby park to enjoy the sun some more when he rounds a corner and sees the building.

He’d almost forgotten about the woman and her pet, but he can’t ignore the bright sign above the doorway, saying ‘The Pound’. In smaller letters it says ‘shelter for abandoned catfolk, dogfolk, and other magical pets’.

Magnus has never been one to ignore signs the universe throws his way. It can’t be a coincidence that the day he vaguely considers the possibility of taking a pet, he comes across a shelter for abandoned folk. Folk are as rare as they are expensive–since their domestication in the 17th century they no longer occur in the wild, and their reproduction is at least partly magic based, since no scholar has figured out yet how to reliably trigger their fertility. Coveted for their beauty and loyalty, desired for their sexual magic they’re the subject of many folktales and myths. Some believe they’re part incubus, others they’re part angel. In modern days, many believe they’re the result of a magic experiment to create human-animal hybrids gone wrong–or right, depending on who you’re talking to.

Magnus has always believed they’re unique magical creatures who domesticated themselves, seducing mundanes, warlocks and vampires alike into spoiling them to a life of luxury and indulgence. It’s why he finds the idea of a shelter for abandoned folk so shocking, who would ever abandon one of the folk? All their magic evolved so others are wired to take care of them.

Before he consciously makes the decision, he’s already through the door. Once inside, he figures taking a look can’t hurt, nothing can force him to throw his life around to accommodate a pet. He’ll simply satisfy his curiosity and then portal himself home and treat himself to a glass of fine whiskey.

Chimes accompany the familiar magical zing when he crosses a ward. He doesn’t recognise the magical signature, but the ward is well-crafted, strong and sturdy. Nothing will pass these doors unnoticed. The woman behind the reception desk smiles brightly when she sees him. Her slightly pointed ears betray at least a part Seelie ancestry, which might account for the excellent wards. “Welcome to the Pound. How can I help you today? Looking for a magical pet, I presume. A Phoenix for the High Warlock of Brooklyn, perhaps?” There’s a particular lilt in her voice when she uses his title, like she knows everything about him and they’ve been friends for centuries.

Magnus doesn’t particularly care for it. “I didn’t know there was a need for a pound for magical creatures,” he says. “I thought they were too precious to be abandoned.”

The woman snorts. “Magical or not, people are people and creatures are creatures. There are bad souls everywhere and sad things happen.” She waves her hand around as if to show off the brightly lit foyer, “and a good thing too, or I’d be out of a job. I’m Marcia, let me show you around. ”

Magnus really doesn’t care for her, but follows her anyway. He started on this road, so now he might as well finish the tour and cure himself of this silly notion. They say curiosity killed the cat, but he's more at risk of dying himself than taking a catboy home, and he's immortal. He's just satisfying his curiosity, that's all.

“Nothing but the best for the High Warlock, let me show you where we keep our folk," Marcia says. Magnus follows her through a showroom filled with large cages, containing an array of lesser magical creatures. He spots the phoenix Marcia mentioned earlier, a pitiful looking thing, as well as a mean-looking one-eyed imp, a deceptively fluffy were-rabbit and a scatter of chattering pixies. None of these creatures are of any interest to him—except maybe the imp as a present for Ragnor—so he's glad Marcia doesn't waste any time here. The sooner he's seen the folk the Pound has on offer, the sooner he can rid himself of this folly and go home.

They enter a hallway next. It has the allure of a high-risk prison ward, or maybe an asylum for people who've gone insane with immortality and have lost the control over their magic. The hallway is brightly lit, heavily warded and the cells are divided by thick brick walls, floor to ceiling triple glass walls offering the customers a view of the folk kept here.

Marcia stops at the first cell. Inside is a blond dogboy. He's clothed in a simple linen outfit, low neckline showing an equally simple brown leather collar. The dogboy is sitting on the bed, bouncing a ball against the wall. There's a bookcase with some books, a boxing ball and a jumping rope, but otherwise the room looks bare. It looks nothing like what Magnus expected, nothing like the glittery luxury he associates with the folk. He realizes that these pets truly have been abandoned, and are, despite their nature and magic, left to rot away in this drab and dreadful prison.

"He's in perfect health and great shape," Marcia says. "He was found as a pup when he was still very young. We have no idea how long he was on his own, or where he comes from. He was fostered until recently, but he didn't seem to bond with anyone so that family didn’t want to make a life-long commitment."

There’s some derision in her voice when she mentions the dogboy’s inability to bond, but before Magnus can inquire what’s wrong with him, he notices them. The moment the dogboy sees them, he walks towards the glass, tail wagging. He doesn't quite smile, keeps a serious face, but his body language betrays him—he's eager to please. Despite the interesting dual coloring of his eyes and attractive enough physique, he's not at all appealing to Magnus.A little too eager for his taste. He motions to Marcia they can move on.

They pass two other dogfolk, neither really catching his eye. He feels for them, since they're not made to live in quarters like these, and the abandonment shows in how they hold themselves. They're magically starving. But he knows that taking care of one of the folk eventually means bonding with them, so it's no use to take one on that doesn't feel right.

He’s a little surprised at himself that he apparently does want to take one of the folk home, just not necessarily from this place. Maybe he should find one at an official breeder.

"We only have one of the catfolk at the moment,' Marcia says. "They're even rarer; they're harder to breed than dogfolk and bond less easily as well. But I think they pick their owners better, because we only rarely need to rescue one." They pass two empty cells and make their way to the back.

"Alec has been difficult to find an owner for." Marcia’s voice makes it clear she doesn't believe Magnus will be the lucky one either. "He looks nice enough, he's in great shape in fact, but he's too tall for a pet. People prefer their pets on the smaller side. With Alec, they fear they won't be in control. It doesn't help that he hasn't the warmest personality either.”

She stops in front of a large window. Magnus' breath catches in his throat the moment he sees the catboy. Nice and tall doesn't really do him justice, he's absolutely gorgeous. Dark hair and dark fur of his ears and tail an appealing contrast with his fair skin, the only hint of color in the room the attractive pink of his lips. He's pacing in the room, long stride fluent and reminiscent of a panther. He's dressed in the same linnen clothes as the other folk, but they can't hide his lean muscles, nor the way he holds himself. There's an undercurrent of danger and impatience in his gait. Magnus understands people might feel reluctant to take him in, but at the same time, he doesn't understand them at all. Who would ever want to control a creature as magnificent as this? Who wouldn’t want to take care of him?

The moment Alec spots Marcia, he scowls at her, the expression of disdain making Magnus snort. The noise must carry into Alec's room, because he immediately looks up at Magnus. Alec stops pacing, hands doing a complicated movement at his sides. He looks Magnus over for a second, the interest in his gaze heating up Magnus' skin. When they make eye-contact, Alec smiles. His smile lights up his entire face, so bright and wide, there isn’t a trace of his former grumpiness left.

Magnus swallows, can’t help but take a small step forward, can’t help the smile forming on his own face.

“He’s stunning,” he breathes.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen him smile,’ Marcia says, breaking Magnus from his reverie. He can’t blame Alec, he’d never smile at this woman either. He tears his eyes away from the catboy, who’s still smiling at him, ears and tip of his tail twitching.

“I want him,” Magnus says before he can stop himself. He was planning to play aloof, bargain down the price of the pet by feigning disinterest, but his desire is somewhat overwhelming and catches him off guard.

Marcia smirks at him. “All right, follow me back to the reception please, we’ve got a lot of paperwork to get through.”

Magnus nods, takes a last look at Alec, who’s scowling at Marcia again, tail swishing. “I’ll be back, Alexander.”

What follows is a torturous hour of paperwork and pamphlets, all to make sure he has all the information he needs to take care of one of the folk, and has the means to do so. He signs over enough money to buy a house in Brooklyn, and agrees to four 3-monthly check-ups so the organization behind the Pound can make sure he gives Alec the nurturing home he deserves.

“Normally we arrange the transport, but for warlocks who prefer to portal, we have a space within our wards set out for that.”

“I definitely prefer to portal.” Magnus just wants this to be over with already. He wants to make sure Alec is okay.

Marcia takes him to yet another room, wards tingling on his skin when he crosses the threshold. Alec’s there already, pacing back and forth as far as the leash connected to his collar lets him. He’s scowling again and this time he doesn’t smile at Magnus when he sees him, just continues his pacing.

“The leash is attuned to his magic. Once I attune it to yours, you’re the only one who can take it off an on.” Alec must understand some of Marcia’s words, because he walks right up to Magnus, scrutinizing him. His eyes rest on Magnus’ rings, his jewelry, finally end up at his ear-cuff.

“Shiny.” Alec’s voice is low and surprisingly soft. Magnus smiles at him, tries to be as reassuring as possible, even though he has no idea what he’s doing. “I’m Magnus.”

“Magnus,” Alec repeats softly to himself. He’s still looking at Magnus, standing close enough that Magnus can feel the heat of him on his skin. He catches himself reaching out. He really wants to touch him, see if his pink lips are as soft as they look. But Alec’s still scowling, black tail swishing anxiously. His body is poised and wary, and when Marcia shuffles somewhere behind Magnus, Alec jumps backward, scowl intensifying, ears flattened so far, they nearly completely disappear in his hair.

“It’s all right,” Magnus tries to soothe him. “Let me take you home, Alexander.”

“Here’s his leash, the length is magically adjustable and it’ll attach to his collar by magic as well. You should have a pamphlet in your stash about where to buy one made in a different material and how to attune it.” Marcia hands over the leash, ignoring Alec who's hissing at her. “You’re all set to go.”

Magnus doesn’t hesitate, takes a firm hold of the leash, draws a portal home and steps through it. There’s a tug on the leash, the portal magic pulling them apart for a while, but then they’re both stepping into Magnus’ living room.

It’s only then, standing in the familiar comfort of his loft, that Magnus realizes what he’s done.

He brought home a catboy. Alexander is going to live with him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec settles in.

Magnus will never admit it to Marcia’s face, but he’s glad she nearly drowned him in pamphlets. When it comes to the care of one of the folk, Magnus is severely out of his depth. He’s never really come in close contact with them, none of his friends ever having owned one. He’s known people who had folk for pets of course, but when they came up in conversation, the focus was never on the care for them—but rather on their magic and all the magical sex the owners were having.

Alec is still standing next to him, as far away as the reach of his leash will allow. He’s still gorgeous, but he also looks ill at ease and a bit pale and underfed—nothing about him says magical sex at all. Magnus is getting the ‘back off’ signals loud and clear.

“We should probably get you some food and some clothes first,” he says to Alec, not expecting much response. Alec scowls at him and pulls on his leash with one finger, pointedly. “And yes, you won’t need that here, obviously.” Magnus snaps his fingers, stores the leash in his cabinet for magical items, and makes his way to the kitchen. “Food first I think.”

Alec follows him quietly, footsteps soundless. Magnus had expected Alec to hide somewhere in the loft, but apparently, the need for food is more important.

“This is the kitchen.” Magnus waves at his high-end kitchen, clean except for his coffee-mug of this morning, and the ingredients for a potion he planned to start tonight. “Feel free to use anything you want. Although the refrigerator is mostly potion ingredients and alcohol—there’s not actually any food in there I think.” Alec arches his brow in disbelief. Magnus can’t blame him. He’s utterly unprepared to take care of an actual living being, used as he is to just conjure up everything he needs at a whim.

“I’ll just conjure us up some takeaway for now, Ethiopian sound good?”

Alec rolls his eyes at him and disappears back into the living space. “Waffles too,” he yells. Magnus wants to snap something about basic politeness, but well, he’s the one who thought he could be responsible for Alec without any preparation at all.

He flounders in the kitchen a little, wondering if he should put all the food on plates, or just use the boxes. If it was only him he’d either eat on his couch, or at his desk, depending on his workload of the day. But it’s never going to be quite solely him anymore, so maybe he should try to make new traditions. So Magnus puts some effort into setting the table with actual glassware and cutlery.

“Dinner is served!” There’s no apparent reaction from wherever Alec disappeared to, and Magnus feels like there’s a line somewhere; letting his food become cold is definitely crossing it.

Alec eventually shows up in the kitchen, hovering by the door for a while before he comes closer. One second he’s critically eyeing the spread, the next he’s made a plate and has run off with it. Magnus blinks at the empty seat in front of him. Maybe he should give Alec some time to adjust before expecting him to be social.

He cleans up the table, leaves a basket with fresh fruit within easy reach and makes for the living space again. It takes him a while to spot Alec, but eventually he finds him on the top of the stairs in front of the door to the roof, taking dainty bites from the plate on his lap. It’s a spot with a clear view of almost the entire loft, especially the entrance.

“The whole place is warded,” Magnus tries to reassure him. “Nobody enters without me noticing.”

Alec just keeps chewing his food slowly, eyes clearly conveying his disbelief in Magnus’ capabilities to protect them. Magnus supposes he can’t really blame him, he might be warding the place, but that doesn’t mean Alec would notice if anything happened. “Maybe I should add a sound-effect,” he says to himself, pondering. Above him, Alec snorts.

Magnus magnanimously ignores that and sets about to prepare Alec a room and get him some clean clothes. He sneaks a look at some of the pamphlets while Alec is preoccupied with his food. Apparently the type of clothes folk like depends entirely on personality and taste, although there’s a note that a lot of folk like to please their owners with their choice of clothing. Magnus snickers a little at that, Alec doesn’t really seem to be the pleasing type.

The same rules apparently apply to housing. There’s a couple of lines on how folk like a room where they can retreat to, especially when there are strangers in the home, but most advise seems to be about bed-sharing and making room for them in family settings, making sure they have a place to crash in children’s rooms and so on. There’s surprisingly little info on what to do when your new pet is still finding their footing and definitely not sleeping with their owner. Magnus feels a little frustrated with it, supposed succubus ancestry or not, nobody should be expected to want to have sex with everybody all the time. He feels like the pamphlets imply that the sole reason he got Alec is to have sex with him, which isn’t true at all. The truth is that Magnus has been lonely, and he likes Alec, grumpy cat behavior and all.

So Magnus does his best to make sure the guest-room is as soothing as possible, with lots of pillows and blankets. He’s less self-assured about what clothing to get. Alec is a little taller than him and not quite filled out, like he’s been chronically underfed. It could be simply the effect of the ill-fitting linen clothing, but Magnus doubts that. Folk are supposed to be magically healthy and fit, spreading pheromones and happiness wherever they go by magic. Alec, while definitely gorgeous—Magnus is very attracted to him, he’s not going to lie about that—doesn’t look like a magical creature of health and fertility. His hair and fur aren’t shiny, he has dark circles under his eyes, and his skin looks sallow. Magnus is going to change all of that, he’s going to take care of Alec so well, he’ll be the strongest and tallest and fittest and most beautiful catfolk in New York. But it does mean that Magnus’ comfy clothes won’t fit him, so he’ll have to conjure some stuff up. He settles on his favorite brand of sweatpants and a bunch of comfortable shirts. They have enough time later to see what kind of clothes Alec likes.

“I prepared your room!” Magnus yells. “And I’ve got you clean clothes!” The clothes must entice Alec enough to motivate him to come from his hideout, because a moment later he warily makes his way into the room. He inspects the bed and the curtains without comment but rolls his eyes when he inspects the clothing.

He holds up the grey pants, then points to himself. “Catfolk,” he says. His voice has this nice, rumbling quality to it. “Tail.” He swishes his tail in agitation. His judgment is clear.

Magnus is an idiot. Before he can whisk the pants away and conjure up new ones, Alec extends a claw and rips the backside. He immediately gets out of his linen clothing, showing no shame for his naked body whatsoever. He’s lean but muscled, chest hair as dark as the runes covering his body. It’s been a while since Magnus has seen a naked person, so he can’t help but gawk a little. Alec ignores him.

He ignores the shirts as well, walking out of the room again, chest still bare. The tip of his tail hits Magnus’ leg while he walks past him. He has no idea if that means anything, but it feels like he’s doing something right at least. Alec could have passed him without touching him easily–at the very least, he’s not afraid.

Magnus follows him to the living area, where Alec is standing in front of his bookcase. Most of it is magic related, half of it is in languages he suspects Alec doesn’t understand, but there’s a couple of novels and history books in there as well. “You can read anything you want, just please put them back in the same spot, there’s a system.”

Alec rolls his eyes at him, but he’s smiling a little and doesn’t hesitate to pick out a book. He makes his way to his spot on the top of the stairs again and settles down.

Magnus hadn’t been sure Alec would be able to read in the first place, he knows not all folk-owners find literacy important, and he has no idea what kind of upbringing or education Alec’s had. But for now, he’s happy Alec seems content and has found something to do.

He’s feeling the weight of the day himself, so he decides to treat himself on a long, hot bath accompanied by a good glass of wine. He doesn’t hear anything from Alec while he soaks and after a while, the hot water finally soothes his muscles enough to relax. He’s still not sure what made him decide to take Alec home, still not sure if he made the right decision, but for the moment he’s happy. He’s warm and comfortable, and somewhere in his home Alec is hopefully relaxing as well.

After his bath, Magnus just wants to sleep. So he checks on alec, who’s found a spot next to the hearth. Magnus should probably move an armchair there, but that’s something for tomorrow.

“I’m going to bed. I usually put down the fire at night, but there’s heating in the guest room.” He hesitates. “Do you want anything else?”

Alec cocks his head, ears twitching. His tail is curled around his legs, tip moving slightly. He shakes his head, but doesn’t say anything.

Slightly disappointed, Magnus makes his way to his bedroom again. Baby steps, he reminds himself. His bed is waiting for him, and tomorrow, when he’s nice and rested, he’ll try to thaw out Alec some more.

The moment his head hits his pillow, he’s out for the count.

He’s not sure what it is what wakes him, but when he sits up, Alec is standing in his bedroom. The moonlight coming through the window lights up his pale skin, and for a moment, Magnus is sure he’s being haunted. Then he notices Alec’s swishing tail and the spooked expression on his face, and remembers he doesn’t live alone anymore.

He doesn’t say anything, just waits to see what Alec will do.

Alec looks at him unblinking, ears twitching but otherwise unmoving. He only moves when Magnus has settled back into his pillows, and makes his way to the chaise longue in the corner of Magnus’ bedroom.

Magnus smiles a little in the dark. It must be a good sign, Alec seeking him out like this. Satisfied, he closes his eyes.

Magnus wakes up once more in the night. When he looks at Alec, he’s sleeping soundly. He’s curled up on the chaise, his long body pressed against the backrest, one arm dangling to the floor. He looks cute, and Magnus is happy he’s here. He’ll conjure up a larger couch tomorrow, the chaise must wreak havoc on Alec’s tall body, but that’s a concern for tomorrow.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit to the vet.

The next morning when Magnus wakes up, Alec is nowhere to be found in the bedroom. Magnus magics the couch a little bigger, so Alec won’t have to bend himself in half anymore, cleans himself up in the bathroom and goes looking for him.

He finds Alec sitting in his usual spot on the chair, but the book and blanket lying on the couch betray he’s at least explored the loft. Baby steps, Magnus thinks to himself, still satisfied Alec sought out his room to sleep in. Alec will learn he’s safe here eventually.

Buoyed by rest and looking forward to the future, Magnus decides to conjure up waffles for breakfast, in an attempt to woo Alec into joining him in the kitchen.

He makes them both coffee, and before Magnus can yell ‘Waffles are ready!’, Alec appears in the kitchen. His hair looks ruffled, his ears are twitching, and his clothes look like he slept in them, which he did. He looks warm and enticing and cute, and the sight of him fills Magnus with hope and joy.

Alec makes himself a plate, puts too much syrup on his waffles, takes a cup of coffee and makes a beeline for the door.

“You can stay,” Magnus offers, trying his best to keep his voice and body language as un-commanding and open as possible. Alec stops in the doorway. His ears go back and forth, tail swishing again. He looks nervous, like he might want to stay but doesn’t quite dare to, but doesn’t dare to leave either. “You can go eat on the stairs too, or on the couch. You can go wherever you feel comfortable, Alexander.”

Alec’s tail curls around his leg. He nods, once. “Thanks,” he says, his voice low and rumbly. He flashes his teeth and leaves the kitchen.

Baby steps, Magnus reminds himself. Alec talked, hesitated to leave, and feels safe enough that he decides for himself what he prefers.

Still, after his own lonely breakfast in the kitchen, Magnus is relieved to see Alec hasn’t retreated to his spot on the stairs, but is comfortable on the couch, breakfast plate empty. He doesn’t run away when Magnus sits down to read in one of his armchairs either, just keeps on reading his book. His ears constantly turn to pick up the noise of Magnus turning pages, and his tail isn’t still for a moment, but they’re together in the same room.

Baby steps.

They develop somewhat of a pattern the next couple of days. Alec follows Magnus into his bedroom when he thinks he’s sleeping and spends the night on his couch. He doesn’t sleep in his own bedroom once, uses that space only to change clothes. They eat at the same time, but Alec doesn’t stay in the kitchen. He lingers a little longer each time though, so Magnus figures he might eventually. During the day they read, with both Alec and Magnus occasionally commenting on what they’re reading, although Alec’s remarks mostly consist of grunting, eye rolling and sometimes a vehement ‘No’. Alec takes naps, luxuriates in the sun streaming in through the windows, and occasionally explores the many trinkets Magnus has put on display everywhere.

Magnus tries to make use of this quiet time by working on his archives and cleaning up his apothecary. Alec will follow Magnus to wherever he’s spending his time, always pretending he’s doing something else, but settling close by. One time he follows Magnus into the bathroom like this, book in hand, not noticing Magnus is sitting in his bathtub.

Magnus startles and yells at the unexpected intrusion, magic flaring up in defense, water sloshing over the edge of the tub. Alec drops his book, ears flattened against his head in reaction to the noise. Then he notices Magnus, sitting naked in the tub, and drops his book. His tail is swishing in agitation, mouth opening and closing.

He stares at Magnus, his skin flushing barely noticeable until he literally shakes himself out of it. He picks up his book, flashes his teeth at Magnus and walks out of the bathroom. The last thing Magnus sees is Alec's tail, which almost seems to beckon him. Magnus stays put, adds some cold water to the tub.

Otherwise, their second and third day together are peaceful. Magnus genuinely believes they’ll make this work, that they’re growing on each other and will find a comfortable companionship.

The fourth day, Alec, as expected, has already left the bedroom when Magnus wakes up. Magnus spends a long time in the bathroom, sprucing himself up, as he’s supposed to visit a client today. It’ll be the first time he’ll leave Alec alone, and he’s somewhat nervous about the experiment.

Alec isn’t on the stairs, nor on the windowsill where he usually enjoys the morning sun. Magnus looks around curiously, wondering what Alec might be up to, when he sees him.

Alec is lying prone in the doorway to his room, knees bend awkwardly, making it obvious he fell.

Magnus rushes over, extending his magic to make sure Alec’s still alive, checking him for any breaks or wounds before he moves him into a slightly more comfortable position. He’s not responding, but Magnus can feel his heartbeat when he presses two fingers carefully on the pulse point in Alec’s neck. It’s a little to quiet and seems awfully slow, but it’s there. Alec is burning up though, cheeks flushed with a fever, sweat pearling on his brow. There are no obvious signs of magical foul or intent, so he’s not been cursed or poisoned by accidentally touching the wrong trinket or potion. Nobody came through his wards either. So there’s no other possibility than Alec suffering from some kind of sickness.

Magnus isn’t equipped for this, doesn’t know enough about the catfolk to give Alec proper care. A quick google search gives him the address of the highest rated vet specialized in catfolk and other magical creatures, and he opens a portal straight to the closest point he knows.

Alec’s unconscious body is heavy in his arms, and a little unwieldy to carry bridal style, but it’s the safest way to transport him, since any kind of magical stasis would be disrupted by the portal. He doesn’t care if he makes quite the dramatic appearance on the street, doesn’t care he’s magically slamming doors open with too much force, all he cares about is getting Alec to proper medical care.

The receptionist takes one look at Alec, pale and motionless in his arms, and waves them through. The vet is a tall, dark-skinned werewolf-Seelie, somewhat heavy-set to be of werewolf descent, but his voice when he guides Magnus to the examination table is deep and soothing.

“Just put him down, here, and I’ll take a look at him. What happened?”

“I found him like this, this morning. Couldn’t detect any magic or intruders, so I think he’s sick.”

The vet hums, takes Alec’s temperature, frowns and immediately does a magic probe. Magnus is relieved to feel the power of the vet’s magic. Like all Seelie-born magic, it feels foreign to him, makes his skin tingle with its strangeness, but it means Alec will get the full magical care he deserves.

“How long has he been in your care?” the vet asks.

“Only four days, I got him from a pound, but there was nothing in his papers about any health issues, I brought them with me.” Magnus hands over the papers, but the vet only gives them a cursory glance.

“I assume you haven’t had sexual relations yet?”

Magnus shakes his head. “I only had him for four days, we’re still getting to know each other.”

The vet hums. “If you could remove his clothes, please.”

Magnus nods, magics Alec’s clothes away. Naked, on the table that’s a little too short for his frame, he looks vulnerable. Alec always has so much attitude, Magnus never expected to see him like this. Everything in him screams that this is wrong, that he failed to protect Alec like he promised himself he would.

“Still underfed, I see.” The vet continues to check over Alec’s body with his magic, a faint green sheen rippling over his skin.

“See all those runes? His body is littered with them. Flexibility, Stamina, Awareness, Nourishment, Soundless, Strength, three Endurance runes… This is common in folk who’ve lived feral for a time, they focus so hard on survival, they spend all their innate magic on protecting themselves.”

“Feral?” Magnus asks. He thinks of Alec reading in the morning sunlight, Alec daintily eating waffles on the staircase, Alec frowning at the clothes Magnus conjured him that first evening. There’s nothing feral about him, except maybe his untameable hair.

“Yes, it’s obvious he lived on the streets for a while, a long time even, I think. He’s underfed, his fur has lost its shine, and his body is littered with too many runes for him to power. Especially if he hasn’t been replenishing his magic.”

“How is he supposed to replenish his magic? He’s been eating and drinking enough.”

The vet lifts his brow. “Surely you know the theory that the folk are related to incubi and succubi? It’s because they feed their magic in a similar way. With ferals that often means they lure innocent bystanders in for sex, but occasionally there’s one who’s so focused on defense, or who’s so wary of strangers and unbonded sex, they forego sexual feeding altogether. If that lasts long enough, by the time they might want to, they often can’t anymore, because they don’t have enough magic left to release their pheromones and sex magic. I think yours is like that.”

Magnus frowns. “This should have been in his file. I can’t take proper care of him if I don’t know things like this.”

The vet nods. “It should have been, but there are very little regulations for the care of catfolk who aren’t legally bonded.” He claps his hands together. “Luckily, I can help him. His magic is depleted, which is why his body is shutting down, it’s feeding on itself. I’ll give him a shot which will boost his magic, do a checkup to make sure he’s not injured himself otherwise, and I’ll get his pheromones working so he can start replenishing his magic on his own again.”

The vet picks a potion out of his cupboard, gets a needle, and puts on gloves.

Magnus is somewhat anxious, but he doesn’t really have any other options. He knows far too little about the magical nature of the folk, which he’ll remedy immediately once Alec is out of the woods. Then the vet’s words give him pause.

“Replenish his magic on his own, you say. By having sex? What if he still doesn’t want to? If he’s still wary?” He doesn’t say ‘of me’, although he thinks it, but all he cares about is Alec’s wishes and well-being.

The vet smiles kindly. “Then we’ll have to put him on a set schedule for shots, since you can’t truly replenish any creatures' magic by outside magic. I’m sure you know what magic depletion feels like, it’s terrible, and there’s not a real fix except waiting for your body to restore itself. The difference is that I need nature and the moon, you need food and alcohol, and he needs sex. But I wouldn’t worry too much. The reason he’s like this is because he tried to, and his body didn’t have the magic reserves to do so.”

Magnus is still unsure of why Alec needs magic to have sex, but he’ll save that for research, let the vet take care of Alec first.

The vet moves Alec onto his stomach and gives him a shot where the fur of his tail changes into the soft skin of his lower back. Then he maneuvers Alec half of the table, so only his upper body is resting on top of it, his feet on the ground. He waves his hand, making bands of hemp encircle his ankles and wrists. “He’ll be disoriented, weakened and in unfamiliar surroundings, so with his feral history, I’m constricting his movement so he won’t hurt himself. Maybe move into his line of sight, so he sees a familiar face. Pet him, if that’s something he likes.”

Magnus doesn’t know if Alec likes to be pet, he doesn’t know anything, but he does as the vet says. Alec’s eyes are still closed, but he does look like he’s breathing steadier.

"Since he’s been tapped out, I’m going to be careful about this. Most folk make slick of their own, it’s part of their magic,” the vet explains casually, “but honestly, I’ve found that there’s no such thing as too much lube for any occasion."

Magnus eyes the vet warily, but he’s soothingly rubbing Alec’s ass, while he conjures lube onto his fingers. The moment his fingers press against Alec’s hole, Alec’s tail, which had been lying limp to the side, swishes into the vets face.

Alec’s eyes open and he hisses, struggling to get up from the table.

“Hey Alexander, relax, you’re safe.” Magnus reaches out but stops himself. Alec’s eyes are burning, the scowl on his handsome face making it very clear he doesn’t want to be touched right now. “You got really sick, overexerted your magic. You’re at the vet.”

Alec keeps scowling, ears flattened against his head. “Hate the vet,” he growls, voice hoarse and low.

“I know, I know,” the vet tuts. “You all do, but it really can’t be helped. If I don’t get your sex magic working again, you’ll be fainting again by tomorrow.”

Alec smacks his tail into his face, but doesn’t protest anymore. He’s leaning on his elbows, claws out and ticking on the table. His eyes keep flicking to Magnus, then look away, a blush rising on his cheeks. He looks terribly uncomfortable.

“Hey Alec, it’ll be fine. Let the vet help you, and we’ll go home and figure this out. We can come back sooner for shots, so this doesn’t happen again.”

Alec rolls his eyes at him, making something antsy settle in Magnus’ stomach. At least he hasn’t lost his sass.

The vet moves Alec’s tail out of the way, then carefully presses inside with one finger. Alec’s thighs tense, the tip of his tail swishing violently.

“No damage here. That sometimes happens with feral folk who haven’t been treated well, so that’s good. He hasn’t been bonded either, which I suspected because there’s no heat rune, but I was worried his exertion might have been caused by a broken bond.”

Magnus wants to ask but doesn’t want to prolong Alec’s discomfort any longer by distracting the vet any more than necessary. Instead, he hovers by Alec’s side, standing close enough he can feel Alec’s body heat, but not too close so they might touch accidentally.

“He’s not had any kittens. Hasn’t made the magical physiologic adaptations for that. They don’t all do, but we still haven’t figured out what triggers it,” the vet remarks. He’s got two fingers in Alexander now, is carefully feeling inside. “His glands are completely dry, the shot doesn’t help with that unless it’s a minor magic depletion, but this should remedy that.”

The vet pushes in deeper, making Alec arch his back in reaction. “There we are. Their prostate functions much like ours, except it exudes their magic pheromones as well. So we just need to stimulate it to reboot his system.”

Alec is hissing under his breath. His claws are drawing lines on the table surface.

“Alec, if you don’t want this, I can find another way to help you,” Magnus says.

“No!” Alec says. “Need it.”

“It’s already working,” the vet comments. “He’s developing a little slick, and getting hard.”

Magnus can’t help himself and takes a quick look. Alec’s cock is hanging heavy between his legs now. It’s large, two thick veins showing through the skin, the lower half of it shaped with ridges. Magnus licks his lips, and when he looks back at Alec, he sees him doing the same.

“Magnus,” he whines, “c’m here.”

Magnus moves closer, closer still when Alec suddenly groans out “closer,” his whole body shuddering.

“Almost there, I think,” the vet comments, hand still moving steadily.

Alec twists his body, pushes his head against Magnus’ stomach and groans. Magnus can’t help but cradle his head in reaction, and when Alec pushes into his hands, he figures that’s what Alec needs. His fingers stroke through Alec’s hair, gently pat his sensitive ears. He’s not making any sounds anymore, just breathing heavily against Magnus’ shirt, hot breath making Magnus’ shiver in turn. Then he mewls, the sound muffled in Magnus’ clothes, back arching again.

Magnus keeps petting his head, admires the soft ears, and the way Alec’s blush has spread to his neck and shoulders. Alec’s claws have retracted again, and the tension has left his body almost entirely.

There’s come staining the table, a little bit of slick visible on Alec’s inner thighs. Alec is still nosing against Magnus’ stomach, luckily not low enough to notice how hard Magnus’ cock is in his pants.

The sound of the vet taking off his gloves brings Magnus back out of his stupor. He gently steps back.

“He should be fine for now,” the vet says. “If he hasn’t made any advancements in ten days, you should bring him in for another shot.” He waves his hands, green-hued magic going over Alec’s naked body, cleaning the slick, come and sweat away. “Do you want any adornments done while you’ve got him here?”

Magnus clears his throat. “Adornments?”

The vet shrugs. “Most owners like to adorn their folk. They’re particular to gold and silver, like to show the riches of their owners. And I’ve never met one of the folk who didn’t enjoy their cock pierced. I’ve got a license, and have experience with ears, both human and folk, lips, brows, nipples, cocks, tails… anything really.” He waves the bands away from Alec’s wrists while he speaks.

Magnus swallows. Alec is standing naked next to the table, now rubbing his wrists. His hairy chest is still heaving a little with his heavy breaths. Magnus imagines Alec running his hands through that chest hair, playing with his pierced nipples… and files those thoughts away.

“Not now, thanks.” He snaps his fingers so Alec’s clothes appear on the table, and decides it’s time to get back home and try and make sense of this day. He still has a client to cancel on.

The vet nods, hands him a bill and yet another pamphlet, this one about the magical cycle of sex magic, and how to prevent overexertion. Magnus can’t help but feel this is the first pamphlet he should have received.

Alec’s not quite looking him in the eyes, but he’s dressed, and the greenish pallor to his skin that’s been there since the start is gone, his cheeks still rosy. Although he’s still too skinny, he looks healthy and even with his hair mussed and the scowl on his face, he looks stupidly attractive.

Magnus snaps the leash into place, for safe transport through the portal. It makes Alec roll his eyes at him, tail swishing violently. At least that hasn’t changed.

With a last nod to the vet, they step through the portal.

At the loft, Magnus finally feels like he can breathe again. The adrenaline and lack of food have left him a little nauseous, but now that he sees Alexander walking on his own two feet again, his gait already familiar, there’s a huge weight of off his shoulders.

Alec stops at one of Magnus’ many cabinets. He makes sure Magnus’ is looking at him, and then he very slowly but deliberately, pushes a vase of off the cabinet with three little taps. It doesn’t break, but the sound of it rolling on the wooden floor is loud in the quiet loft. He smirks a little at Magnus. “Hate the vet.”

Then he makes his way to his own bedroom, tail swishing with a definite gleeful snap to it.

Magnus sighs.

Time to make waffles he supposes. But first a martini.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training and exercise.

Alec doesn’t speak to Magnus for two days. He doesn’t eat with Magnus, doesn’t follow him around the loft. He mostly spends his days scowling at Magnus from his perch on the top of the stairs. Alec does still sleep on the couch in Magnus’ bedroom though, so Magnus figures not all is lost.

The third day, Alec eats at the kitchen table for the first time since their visit to the vet. He still doesn't say anything, doesn't smile at Magnus – honestly, with the way Alec is ignoring Magnus, he might as well not have a housemate or a pet – but he sits down and has breakfast. He settles down on the couch to read after, making Magnus believe that they'll find a way to settle together. He's still not sure how they'll get around the whole magical starvation thing – he doesn't really want to repeat their visit to the vet every ten days – but he figures he can worry about that after Alec's acknowledging him again.

By the time dinner rolls around, Magnus is feeling much happier about his day, so he indulges himself and conjures a lot of comfort food: spicy chili con carne, with enough guacamole to serve five people. Alec scrunches up his nose a little at first, but then eats with gusto, serving himself twice. "I like it spicier," he comments, before putting his plate in the sink.

How Magnus managed to adopt the brattiest catfolk out there, he's not sure, but he'll take it over the silent treatment. "I'll order extra jalapeños next time."

The corner of Alec's mouth lifts a little, making him almost smile. "Thanks," Alec says, tail swaying slowly. "Jalapeños are good on everything."

Magnus is tempted to add jalapeños to Alec’s breakfast waffles in the morning, but at the same time, he vows to himself to order them en masse from now on. He wants to make Alec happy.

The next day, glad that Alec's back to his less grumpy self, Magnus decides that the best way to establish a new normal together, is to act like everything is normal. So he starts the day with breakfast – the third time they're eating waffles since Alec arrived, without jalapeños – and then starts his training regime to work off all that maple syrup.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Alec settle down on the couch with a book, but today he doesn't stay there long. Instead, he starts pacing around the loft, touching little things, throwing Magnus not-so-subtle looks. It's a little unnerving and annoying, because it means Magnus can't really focus on his training. When he can see Alec's swaying tail hit one of Magnus’ precious Ming vases, almost toppling it over, Magnus throws him a burst of magic to warn him off.

But Alec doesn't react how Magnus thinks he'll react. He doesn’t stomp away to sulk at his spot at the top of the stairs, tail swaying sharply, nor does he scowl at Magnus while he pushes the vase over on purpose. Instead, he jumps elegantly over the couch, chasing the ball of magic until it disappears.

Once it's gone, Alec looks up at Magnus expectantly, rocking on his feet a little, violent swishing of his tail betraying his excitement. 

"Huh," Magnus mumbles. He sends a ball of magic at Alec, adding a little swerve to it. Alec sidesteps it with ease, then runs after it again, trying to catch it. Once the magic trail is gone, he looks back at Magnus, grinning, ears pointing forward.

Magnus is stunned. It’s the first time since Alec moved in that he smiles this freely and Magnus had forgotten how utterly beautiful Alec is when he does. He vows to make Alec smile more, make him look happy and carefree like this always. He starts by throwing him another magic ball, this time with a curve to it. Alec chases it down happily.

It doesn’t take long for Magnus to realize this is a perfect opportunity to get in some proper training himself, so with every magic ball, the intensity of their game changes - Magnus putting in a genuine effort to hit Alec with his magic, Alec putting his everything into evading and trying to catch Magnus’ magic balls. At some point, Alec does a complicated move and walks sideways up on the walls of the loft, like one of those teenagers doing parkour. The move catches Magnus by surprise, so fluid and competent it's completely distracting, and Alec almost catches his target. Alec is graceful and powerful and ridiculously hot, making Magnus half-hard in his yoga pants. 

Half-hard becomes fully aroused when Alec looks at him, head cocked, and takes off his shirt, putting his attractively hairy and sweaty chest on display. He towels off his head in his shirt, then grins at Magnus a little bit, ears flicking back and forth. “Was bored,” he says, voice a pleasantly low baritone.

“You should’ve said so,” Magnus says, a little put upon. He wants to take care of Alec, but it’s hard when he has no idea what Alec wants. The mountain of pamphlets about the care of catfolk seems completely inadequate for the care of this specific catfolk. 

Alec shrugs. “Training is good,” he says pensively. He doesn’t offer any other ideas, bunching up his shirt in his hands while he looks at Magnus, licking his lips. “Food?” he eventually asks, when the silence between them has turned almost awkward. Magnus is way too aware that Alec’s half-naked and almost within arms reach. And he really wants to touch him.

Magnus nods in agreement since food will at least still one hunger, and might distract him from this sudden need to devour Alec. Alec leads the way to the kitchen, Magnus following slowly, eyes trailing over Alec's broad, muscled back and long, lean legs, until they fixate on the enticing sway of Alec’s tail. He’s so screwed.

Alec sticks around for lunch – Caesar's salad proving utterly incapable of distracting Magnus from his desire – and follows Magnus around for most of the day, book in hand. He doesn’t put on another shirt, his chest a distracting temptation, seemingly always in Magnus’ line of sight. Magnus goes to bed early, too aroused to focus on his work, cock still half hard.

The next day, after a breakfast shared in silence, Alec smirks at Magnus and pulls off his shirt. Magnus stares at Alec's pink nipples, imagines them pierced with gold hoops, recalling the suggestions of the vet. He's so distracted by the sight, Alec's shirt hits him straight in the face before it falls at his feet. Alec's looking at him with a clear challenge in his eyes, ears perked up, tip of his tail flicking with his focus.

"Oh, it's on," Magnus mumbles while he attacks Alec with magic. Alec evades the barrage easily, then runs to the living room. Magnus gives chase.

Two hours later, they’re both grinning, sweaty and slightly out of breath. Alec's a little flushed, cheeks and chest rosy, making it hard for Magnus to look away. They're standing close, the space between them simmering with heat, Alec's scent a little sweet and musky. Magnus wants to lick him.

One moment Magnus is all about the game, about getting a hit on Alec, catching him with his magic. The next he's getting hard in his pants, and thinking of pushing Alec over the back of the couch, getting his hands all over that warm and enticing body. Alec's looking at him, biting his lip, eyes warm, tail curved around his leg. He looks like temptation personified.

Magnus wants him so much, but... he's very much aware Alec didn't choose to be here. That Alec fainted because he wanted to be left alone, rather than fuck for survival. Who knows what he's been through while he lived feral, on the streets. The last thing Magnus wants to do is force Alec into doing anything he doesn't want to.   
  


So Magnus takes a step back, steadying his breaths. "You don't have to stay here," he blurts out, heart hammering for a completely different reason now. "You said you were bored... so you can leave the loft, explore New York..." he says, shrugging when Alec's warm expression turns unsure and questioning.

"You want me to leave?" Alec asks in a quiet voice. His ears are drooping, tail curving even tighter around himself. 

Magnus has no idea how someone so tall and imposing can make himself look so small, but it feels wrong, and Magnus definitely didn't want Alec to look this sad. He wants Alec to be happy.  He's just running out of ideas how to accomplish that. "No, not at all. You can stay as long as you want. I meant..." Magnus takes a deep breath to steady himself. "I meant that you're free to go. You don't need to stay with me if you don't want to. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want... I can draw you a portal anywhere..."

"I want to stay..." Alec says, still in that quiet voice. "If you want me to stay."

Magnus smiles at Alec. "I want you to stay. You can stay as long as you want. I just want to make sure that you're happy. That this is where you want to be."

Alec cocks his head, tail swaying vehemently, ears twitching while he looks at Magnus. Eventually he rolls his eyes, shoulders relaxing. "I wouldn't have stayed if I didn't want to." He moves a little closer, then hesitates. "I want to stay," Alec repeats at last. He bites his lip, then walks past Magnus – close enough that the fabric of his loose pants strokes against Magnus' shins, close enough that Magnus can feel the heat of him, can really inhale that enticing scent, close enough that Alec's tail hits Magnus on the shin – and disappears into the kitchen.

Alec doesn't put on his shirt for the rest of the day. Magnus distracts himself by conjuring up a gym, thinking that more exertion will kill his insistent boner. Unfortunately, it backfires, because Alec is curious and tries out every tool Magnus adds, flexing all those lean muscles right in front of him. Magnus walks around half-hard to hard the rest of the day.

By the evening, Magnus is so frustrated he's ready to snap, and not even a cold, cold shower makes his hard-on disappear. Magnus is lying in bed, thinking that he either needs to shower again and jerk off, or make himself a potion to get rid of his arousal, because this is starting to be painful, and Magnus refuses to masturbate with Alec right there in the room. He should have considered their close quarters before he got himself a companion this attractive.

That's when the bed dips. Magnus looks up, pushing himself up on his elbows. Alec’s standing at the foot of the bed, one knee on the mattress. It’s hard to see in the dark of the room, but Alec’s ears are flicking back and forth, tail swaying slowly. There's less moonlight tonight, but it still reminds Magnus of their first night together, with Alec anxious to enter the room. Curious to see what Alec will do, Magnus forces himself to relax. He lies back on the bed, pulls the cover a little closer around himself, and pretends he's settling in to sleep.

He ignores the soft sounds of Alec's breathing or the swishing of his tail against the bed. Ignores the enticing, musky scent that seems to envelop Alec lately and drives Magnus crazy. Ignores his cock, which seems to get even harder, as if it knows Alec is close. 

It takes a couple of minutes, both frozen in place, but Alec eventually climbs the bed. He stays at the foot, hands prodding the mattress and sheets for a while. Then he curls up, head resting against Magnus' shins.  
  
Magnus holds his breath, afraid that one wrong move might scare Alec away. But his shins can't make for a comfortable head rest, so Magnus snaps his fingers, conjuring an extra cover and a pillow, both falling close to Alec on the bed.  
  
Alec doesn't react for a very long moment, but he does end up pulling the cover on top of himself. He kneads the pillow for a long time before he pushes it against Magnus' legs, then settles down.  
  
"Night," Alec mumbles, voice soft and sleepy.   
  
"Night," Magnus whispers back. He won't be able to sleep, not with Alec in his bed like this, close and warm where he's pressed against Magnus, enticing scent surrounding him. But it's all worth it, worth the painful and desperate arousal that's been plaguing him for two days, worth the doubts and worry and sleepless nights, when Alec falls asleep in Magnus' bed, soft snores filling the bedroom.

Alec wants to stay.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cancelation stole a lot of my writing mojo, but I got it back, just like we'll get back our show!
> 
> #saveshadowhunters


End file.
